Enthusiastic coders and hackers are starting to pay it forward, by ­building kits to help ­beginners achieve computing ­literacy. These three sets mark a growing DIY movement that has ­nothing to do with crafts stores.

Brooks England has been building leather bike seats for more than a century, and, like any good heritage product, they need breaking in—it can take up to a derriere-aching year before a bike seat finally fits its owner.